Inductive ListenLoop System Brings a 19th-Century House of Worship Further into the 21st Century

The historic R.E. Lee Memorial Church addresses church members’ needs with an upgrade to its previously installed Listen Technologies system, to now accommodate T-coil-enabled hearing aids or cochlear implants

The historic R.E. Lee Memorial Church, located adjacent to the campus of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, is named for historical figure and university President/namesake Robert E. Lee. The church’s regular worship services are equally traditional, but in one key way the R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church has kept its members up with the times: last December it upgraded its existing Listen Technologies Corporation assisted listening system from an RF system to an inductive ListenLoop system, using Listen’s CLS2 Loop Driver as the driver for the main sanctuary floor.

The project, part of a broader audio system upgrade, was done by Stage Sound, of Roanoke, Virginia. As a result, church members using T-coil-enabled hearing aids or cochlear implants can now connect to the services’ audio automatically and seamlessly, without needed external devices such as ear buds, ear cups or headphones. In addition, Listen Technologies LP-IL-1 Hearing Loop Receivers with Lanyard Packages were also installed, to accommodate those with hearing challenges but who do not have hearing aids or implants.

“It’s made a huge and positive difference for everyone with hearing challenges,” says Jay Ensor, System Designer and Project Manager on the project for Stage Sound. “The previous RF system was great, and this is even better, because it makes getting connected to the church’s audio so much easier and simpler for those with T-coil-enabled hearing aids or cochlear implants. You walk in and you’re connected, just like that.”

Ensor says the installation of the inductive loop system was nearly that simple as well. The church rests above a basement on a floor supported by hand-hewn 2 X 6 beams, which facilitated the laying of the loop wire. Signal strength, already a major feature of the Listen Technologies inductive loop system, is exceptionally strong as a result of the all-wood environment, with strong signal up to 12 feet above the seating area. “We’ve installed other brands of assisted-listening products, but we’ve always come back to the ones from Listen Technologies, to the point that we became a dealer,” says Ensor. “In addition to being a great product, it’s also extremely cost effective, which allows us to pass the savings onto our customers. We trust it and our clients get the performance they expect, every time.”